Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol

Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) (formerly named Jabber^[1]) is a protocol for instant messaging. It is inspired by XML.

It is different to most protocols because it is an open standard. This means that anybody who has a domain name and an internet connection can run their own server. Most of the software and the clients are open source.

Other software such as Google Talk and the Gizmo5 use the XMPP protocol. It has been installed on thousands of servers across the internet. There are over five hundred million users who use software based on the protocol.^[2] Clients include Pidgin and iChat.

1. ↑ "Jabber Inc. - About Us". Archived from the original on 2007-07-03. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
2. ↑ "Jabber Instant Messaging User Base Surpasses ICQ". Archived from the original on 2007-11-03. Retrieved 2009-09-14.